The Rest of Us, More Sensibly, Read Calvin and Hobbes

by The Discovering Alcoholic on November 26, 2007

The title may be a little misleading, it is from a quote by Garry Trudeau in the foreword to Bill Watterson’s first collection of Calvin and Hobbes.

Of course this exclusivity only provokes many grown-ups into trying to regain the serendipity of youth for themselves, to, in effect, retrieve the irretrievable. A desperate few do things that later land them in the Betty Ford Center.

The reason I say it may be misleading is because this story is not about my beloved Calvin and Hobbes, but instead the Betty Ford Center (BFC). I included the quote from a art form I consider an American treasure because it seems a great example of the how the BFC brought substance abuse treatment out from a veil of secrecy into the mainstream public exposure. It was the very first facility that I became aware of for the treatment of addiction other than sanitoriums and jail. I would imagine the same goes for almost anyone over the age of 30.

Betty Ford and her daughter Susan, chairman of the BFC, (see picture) recently participated in an interview celebrating the 25th anniversary of the facility that bears her name. Mrs. Ford has been in recovery since 1978 from alcohol and opioid addiction and to this day is a proud advocate. When asked what she wanted as her legacy she replied:

…my activities have been pretty much focused in the last almost 30 years on the recovery, of my own recovery, the understanding for my family of my recovery, and the importance of it.

This legacy is why I am offering my TDA salute to Mrs. Ford today. She fostered an awareness and understanding of addiction and recovery with her honesty that was unheard of for her time. The first lady admitted to a disease that was considered taboo, and then told the world how she had gone about fighting it. She took a chance by sharing her ordeal so others would benefit from her experience and then gave back to the community what is now a recovery icon- the Betty Ford Center.